A 56‑year‑old refugee who was nearly blind was found dead in downtown Buffalo days after being released into the care of U.S. Border Patrol, city officials said.
Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a Rohingya refugee from Myanmar, was reported missing on February 19 after Border Patrol agents took him from the Erie County Holding Center following his release on bail, the Investigative Post reported.
He was left at a Tim Hortons café about 5 miles from his home in the city’s Broadway-Fillmore neighbourhood without notifying his family or lawyer, his attorney, Benjamin Macaluso, told the local news outlet.
“Mr. Shah Alam was identified by the Erie County Medical Examiner earlier today and his family was subsequently notified,” City Hall spokesperson Ian Ott said in a statement.
Buffalo Mayor Sean M. Ryan said in a press statement, “The preventable death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam is deeply disturbing and a dereliction of duty by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.”
“A vulnerable man — nearly blind and unable to speak English — was left alone on a cold winter night with no known attempt to leave him in a safe, secure location. That decision from U.S. Customs and Border Protection was unprofessional and inhumane.”
Shah Alam was completely blind in one eye, had blurry vision for several feet in the other and limited English, Macaluso told Investigative Post. Shah Alam had lived in Buffalo for about 15 months after arriving as a refugee in December 2024, according to the outlet.
His legal case stemmed from an incident in 2025 in which he became lost while taking a walk, entered a stranger’s property, and was arrested after officers confronted him with commands he did not understand, according to the Investigative Post.
He was later charged with trespassing and weapons possession related to a curtain rod he used as a walking stick.
After a plea agreement, he was freed from county custody on bail this month, and an immigration detainer prompted local sheriffs to contact Border Patrol. Rather than being taken to an immigration detention facility, he was transferred to Border Patrol custody and dropped off at the café, his attorney said.
Border Patrol along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been at the forefront of the Trump administration’s clampdown on migration, carrying out increased arrests across the nation under an aggressive deportation strategy. The agencies have faced a flurry of allegations of misconduct.
This is a developing story; more to follow.
